Hat Rant In Progress

November 23, 2010
I've got other news, but. . .

We Now Join The Hat Rant In Progress
As you can probably tell, I am especially bugged at the trend of the fedora as a substitute for the cowboy hat in Westerns (it's worn by the leads in both upcoming Westerns, True Grit and Cowboys & Aliens). Because historical consultants have been so adamant that the winged cowboy hat did not exist in the Old West, the costume designers are trapped. Well, if we can't turn up the brim on the sides, what other choices do we have? And the historical consultant says, you could do a John Ford-Frederic Remington and push the front up.

Of course there are great examples of this to emulate:

But the costumers are loathe to do the pushed up front because they think it connotes Gabby Hayes, which unfortunately, it does:

So, when the costumers are trying to outfit, say, Kris Kristoferson in Heaven's Gate, they say, "Well, if it can't go up in front, can we have the brim go down?" Of course. So then we get this:

I'm sorry, but that defeats the purpose. This is not a cowboy hat, it's an Elliot Ness-1920s style hat. Not saying it didn't exist in the West, but it's a poor substitute for a cowboy hat. Maddening, really.

"The ultimate aim of the human mind, in all its efforts, is to become acquainted with truth."

—Eliza Farnham